After the War: Rebuilding the World Together
by Master Rizzle
Summary: Takes place immediately after end of TLA. If I could add a third genre tag I'd add humor. I try to stay very true to the show itself. So far the story is mostly from Aang's POV so it mostly focuses on Kataang but all other canon couples are in there too. Plus I might mess around with some other POVs as well, so the other couples might get some more love at some point. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**This story is something I wanted to do for myself, as just a means to flesh out what I think would have happened after the show's end, as well as for anyone else who is yearning for more of a look into what happened after the war. I know there is some official manga out there that provides this, but they're more like short stories, and I found myself yearning for something a little more insightful after the show ended. An important note however, while I do respect the manga, I will only be restricting myself to what is presented in the anime (TLA and LOK both), as I feel the manga would just be a little too constraining on my ability to tell a story. I'll try to provide my own take on some of the events that take place in the manga (Zuko's mother, Republic City, etc.). This story takes place immediately after the show ends. Like, very immediately. Like, after the camera pans up immediately. Enjoy! Oh yeah, I don't own Avatar and no profit is being made off of this.**

**Chapter 1**

Aang's heart was racing; he couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Katara had her arms around his neck, and he had his arms around her waist, and he was kissing her, but far more important than that she was kissing him back. Every other time they had kissed he was left wondering afterwards if she actually felt anything for him, especially after the disaster at the theatre. But this time there was no question, she was the one who kissed him, and it was a kiss like Aang had never experienced, it had already been at least five seconds and Katara was showing no signs of letting up. With anyone else it would have been a slightly awkward kiss, neither of them particularly knew what they were doing, and they held their lips in the same position for most of the time. As Katara loosened her grip around Aang, she tilted her head slightly and pulled away just enough to kiss him softly on the lips once more. Aang took the signal and pulled away as well.

They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds, still with their arms loosely wrapped around each other. Aang was the one to break the silence. "I've been trying to tell you this since the invasion, but there was just never a good time, with the war and my firebending training…"

"What is it Aang?" asked Katara gently.

"Katara, I- I love you, and not just as a friend. I have for a long time now. I think I knew the moment I woke up in your arms at the South Pole."

Katara smiled. "I love you too. I've watched you grow from the goofy little kid we found in that iceberg into the wise and powerful avatar that you are today. And my love for you transformed as I watched you grow. That's why I was so confused before, I hadn't fully come to terms with the new romantic love that I feel for you, and I was afraid that I was confusing it with the love I had for that little kid. But during Zuko's coronation, when I saw you up there, and you looked so…mature, that's when I was sure that what I feel for you is this kind of love, and that I want nothing more than to be together."

Aang's smile was the purest expression of happiness and contentment Katara had ever seen from him. "So…we are definitely together now? Like, it's official?"

Katara rolled her eyes, but the smile refused to leave her face. "Yes, O wise and powerful Avatar. We're 'official'."

Aang resisted the urge to jump twenty feet in the air and dance through the sky. Instead, he said, "We should probably go back inside." He was still beaming.

They turned and walked back into the tea shop, everybody was just about done taunting Sokka over his painting.

Sokka turned around and saw them coming in. "Hey Aang! You haven't even looked at it! I'm sure _you'll_ appreciate my art."

"I don't think art critique is the first thing on Aang's mind right now," Toph chimed in.

"What do you mean?" replied Sokka and Aang simultaneously, although Sokka's tone had an air of suspicion while Aang's was nervous.

"Well let's just say Twinkle-Toes got a sweet taste of the Sugar Queen, and the vibrations I'm feeling say he liked it."

Sokka stood up. "You tasted my sister?" he yelled.

Aang threw up his hands. "No! We just kissed!"

"You kissed my sister?"

"Sokka calm down," said Suki, resting a hand on his shoulder, "Are you honestly telling me you didn't see this one coming?"

"What do you mean? Not all of us have your magical girly-girl love sense Suki! This came out of nowhere!"

"Well…I saw it coming," said Zuko

"I'm not one for anything with 'girly-girl' in front of it, but this one was pretty obvious," said Toph.

"I even saw it coming, and before last week the only interaction I had with either of them were the times I was trying to capture them," said Mai.

Sokka turned to Iroh, his expression pleading for some backup. Iroh shrugged, "Sorry son. Sometimes what we want to see blinds us to what is actually right in front of our eyes."

"Oh I _wish_ I was blind to those two making ou-"

"Cut it out Sokka!" said Suki. "Leave them alone. Name me one person that you would rather have dating Katara than Aang. You know better than anyone that he would never do anything to hurt her. Plus _I_ think they're cute together." Aang rubbed the back of his neck while Katara blushed.  
"I guess you're right Suki. But it's still weird! It's going to take me a while to get used to them being all smoochy-smoochy."

"We're not being smoochy-smoochy!" shouted Katara.

"It seemed pretty smoochy-smoochy to me Katara," said Toph.

Katara let out a groan of exasperation and Aang stood there with an embarrassed smile, still not sure exactly what to say.

"Aang," said Iroh, trying to change the subject, "Would you care to play a friendly game of Pai Sho? I am very interested to see what strategies those crafty air nomads were able to concoct. I hear that they bent not only the air, but the rules as well."

Aang bowed, "I would be honored. But I'll warn you, I learned from the best. I've never played someone who was able to kick my butt quite as consistently as Monk Gyatso."

"That's because you've never played me," replied Iroh.

Aang sat down at the Pai Sho table and looked around at all of his friends, who had mostly moved on from the topic of Aang and Katara's new relationship, except for Sokka who still had a bit of a scowl. Aang realized how grateful he was to Iroh for insisting that they all spend a couple days in his apartment to relax. It felt like even though the war was over, he had been immediately tossed into another war, a diplomatic war. And although in principle he preferred that kind of war, he had to admit the real war was a lot more fun. Sitting in a meeting room trying to find compromise between the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation was not exactly what Aang would call fun. The governors and noblemen of both nations were stubborn as could be and trying to get them to agree to anything tested even the Avatar's patience.

Aang knew it wasn't going to be easy to resolve all of the post-war problems, but he didn't think it would be quite as complicated as it was. The war changed the world, and much of it was irreversible. The Air Nomads were not coming back anytime soon (in fact _Aang_ would have to be the one to repopulate them himself, just the thought of that made his head spin), the fire nation citizens had been subject to the propaganda of their royal family for over one hundred years, and they were not just going to change their way of thinking because their banished prince and the avatar who they were told to hate decided that their Fire Lord was evil and the world will be peaceful now without him.

And the most pressing issue that the two nations have bickered over so much that Aang just wanted to scream every time it was brought up, was what to do with the oldest of fire nation colonies. Many of the colonies were easy to decide, the citizens remember the day the fire nation invaded and in many cases were fighting for their freedom until the end of the war. But in other colonies things were much more complicated. Some of the colonies were established in the time of Fire Lord Sozin, and the people there no longer even remember a time when it was just an Earth Kingdom village. There were Fire Nation families living in these colonies that knew no other home, and would have nowhere to go if they were forced to leave. Not only that, but the Fire Nation homeland didn't have enough space anymore to contain the massive growth of their population since the era of their expansion.

The Earth Kingdom of course, wanted complete liberation of their colonies; they wanted the Earth Kingdom to reach as far as it did before the war, as they reasonably asserted that the Fire Nation wronged them by taking any colonies at all. The Fire Nation on the other hand wanted to maintain some semblance of control over their colonies, and this compromise on their part to only demand _some_ control was heavily influenced by Fire Lord Zuko. There still remained a very large group of those loyal to Ozai, who saw Zuko as a traitor to his people. Some of these radicals, who were calling themselves "The Phoenix Loyalists" held positions of power in the Fire Nation government, and they made themselves very vocal at meetings and drove Aang even crazier than he thought possible.

But he didn't have to worry about any of that right now. Right now all he had to worry about was the girl who had her arms wrapped around his left arm (and the lemur trying to get itself in between said girl's head and said left arm's shoulder), and the Lotus tile gambit (which he really should have seen coming) that he was trying to fend off with his right arm. And those things might just be what keep him sane through all of this.

**Well there you go. Just setting the tone and hinting at some plotlines. I'll try to keep up with this as much as I can, but don't expect me to be cranking these out. I have college and stuff. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Expect the chapters to be more along the lines of this length from now on (maybe not **_**quite**_** as long, I had a lot I wanted to get through this chapter). The first one was really kind of just to finish a scene that I felt needed to be finished for my own satisfaction. Unfortunately that does mean they'll take a while to write, but oh well. Hopefully it's worth it. Enjoy Chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Avatar. Still not making any money off of this.**

**Chapter 2**

Aang relished the familiar feeling of air rushing past his face as well as the comfort of Appa's fur, which felt particularly soft underneath him. He looked out ahead and saw nothing but a clear starry night sky and a beautiful snow-capped mountain, which he could see all the way to the top of, among a range of smaller mountains. He looked over to his left, and there was Katara in her water tribe dress, with her arms wrapped around his exactly as they were during his Pai Sho game with Iroh.

"I love you so much Aang," she said, as she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you too Katara," replied Aang with a smile. He wasn't sure exactly where they were going, but he was happy to sit back and enjoy the ride. Appa rounded the peak of the mountain, and as Aang looked to see the land that the mountain concealed, he gasped as the Southern Air Temple revealed itself to them. Something about the way it stood, so regal and strong, Aang couldn't stop tears from welling up in his eyes. Even though he knew what the Fire Nation did to that place, he felt overwhelmingly in that moment as though they could never have destroyed what it stood for. He leaned down and patted Appa on the head, "Great choice buddy."

As Appa flew nearer to the temple, Aang couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. The sky didn't seem so starry and beautiful; instead it turned a frightening tint of dark red. Appa landed on one of the many mossy stone ledges along the walls of the temple. Aang slid down Appa's front leg.

"Stay close to me Katara." Katara followed him off of Appa, and locked her arm with his. He had a very uneasy feeling that was welling into fear within his chest. The feeling of Katara on his arm helped immensely to keep him calm.

Suddenly, a thick fog permeated their surroundings. Aang could barely see six inches in front of his nose. "I don't like this Katara. We should leave." He turned to find Appa, and just as he did, he felt Katara's arm slip away from his. He instantly turned his entire body back towards Katara, but she wasn't there. "No…NO!" Aang shot out a powerful blast of air in all directions, but the fog seemed to resist him with incredible force; the bubble that cleared around him only extended a few feet. He stopped the air blast, and the fog encased him once again. "KATARA!" shouted Aang at the top of his voice.

The fog cleared ever so slightly, and Aang could barely make out the shape of a person about ten feet in front of him. "Katara!" Aang ran over to the shape but stopped dead, jaw dropped, when he realized that it was not his girlfriend, but a small airbender boy on an air scooter. The child turned and smiled at him, he was missing many of his baby teeth. But before Aang could approach him, he zipped off on his air scooter.

Aang put a hand to his head, trying to make some kind of sense of what was happening, but then he started to hear faint whispers. And they grew into voices.

"_You are the only one left who remembers our culture"_

"_You must preserve our spirit"_

"_Do not let us fade from memory"_

"_Protect what we hold sacred"_

Aang recognized those voices. They were four of the five monks who were on the Council of Elders for the Southern Air Temple. He knew whose voice he was about to hear next.

"_We're counting on you Aang," _came Monk Gyatso's voice.

Aang fell to his knees, "I don't know how to do any of those things!"

A tall figure in a red robe appeared to his left. Aang looked up. "…Roku?"

"Avatar Aang, you have done much to help restore balance to the world, but true balance will never be realized so long as airbenders remain so scarce in the world."

"But what can I do Roku? I'm just one person. I'm just one kid!"

He glimpsed another figure in front of him, the figure of a woman. He walked towards the person; as he approached her, he began to think that he knew who the person was, but at the same time, it couldn't be her. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen stood before him, in a water tribe dress that he knew very well. She turned to face him and once those cerulean eyes met with his own he knew exactly who he was looking at.

"Remember what I told you Aang," said Avatar Roku.

"You must actively shape your own destiny," said Avatar Kuruk.

"And that means the destiny of your people as well," said Avatar Yangchen.

Aang walked towards the older Katara. But she turned away from him and the fog thickened once more. "No!" shouted Aang, "I'm not going to lose you again!" He ran after her, but as he took his next step forward he realized that there was no ground beneath him. He fell several feet onto a lower ledge, and shot a quick pulse of air beneath him to lighten his fall. He looked up and realized that he was no longer in the fog at all. In fact, he could quite clearly see Sokka standing directly in front of him. And he did not appear happy to see him at all.

"Where's my sister?" he shouted.

"I'm so sorry Sokka! I tried to save her but I have no idea what happened! Please don't be angry with me!"

"What are you yelling about Aang?" said Sokka. "What the hell would I be mad at you for? I already told you I'm fine with you dating Katara as long as you're not too smoochy around me. Come on we have a meeting with the Earth King in a couple hours."

Aang opened his eyes. He was lying on his mat in Iroh's apartment, clutching his pillow so hard the feathers were starting to poke out. Sokka was looking down at him with a confused eyebrow raised.

"Oh…uh, right sorry. It was just a dream. Nothing to worry about."

"Was it a dream or a magical avatar vision-dream…thingy?" asked Sokka.

"Nope, just a dream," said Aang with a quick laugh.

"Mk then. Zuko and Iroh should be about finished making breakfast. I'm going to get over there before all the chicken boar bacon is gone." Sokka turned and left room.

Aang sat up. Well, he made it through a whole night, and he was pretty sure at this point that his kiss with Katara and the subsequent beginning of their relationship was not just a dream. Especially because Sokka just mentioned the fact that he was dating Katara, and usually his dreams involving spirits of past avatars communicating with him didn't evolve into normal dreams of Sokka telling him he was dating Katara and that breakfast was ready. No, he was quite certain that he was actually just the luckiest guy in the world.

Aang put on his yellow air monk robe. He decided he was going to wear it throughout peace talks, to assert himself as a symbol of the air nomad elders during negotiations. Aang also felt closer to Monk Gyatso when wearing his necklace and a robe like he wore. A few days after the war, Katara had surprised him with the robe; she modeled it after Monk Gyatso's own robe that they had found at the Southern Air Temple. Aang had a hard time believing how amazing Katara was to him before they were even dating. He could scarcely imagine how amazing of a girlfriend she was going to be.

He emerged from the bedroom to see most of his friends sitting at the table while Zuko was setting down plates of food, and Iroh was pouring everybody tea. Aang took a place at one of the heads of the table, Sokka and Suki were sitting next to each other to Aang's left, and Toph was sitting next to them. Immediately to his right there was an open seat, and Mai sat in the middle of the right side of the table. Zuko took his seat next to her after setting down the breakfast plates, and Iroh sat at the other head of the table. Katara didn't appear to be up yet, but that was fine, there was still that open seat right next to Aang. Aang surveyed the food that was on the table. Sokka was already all over the chicken boar bacon, there were also some scrambled eggs, some butter and toast, and some dumplings. The dumplings looked as though they had some kind of meat in them. Oh well, looked like nothing but toast for breakfast this morning.

"Good morning sleepy-head," said Katara from behind him.

Aang turned around and there she was, looking beautiful in her green Earth Kingdom dress, carrying a basket of fruit.

"I saw what they were making for breakfast, so I went out to the market this morning to get some fruit for you."

"Thanks Katara," said Aang with a warm smile. She walked up to him, leaned down, kissed him on the cheek and set the basket of fruit in front of him, and then took her seat next to Aang.

"Ah, this is what it's all about guys," said Sokka, "Being surrounded by friends, family, and meat. We had plenty of the friends and family stuff over the past year, but we were severely lacking in the meat department for waaaay too much of that."

"Amen to that," said Toph as she shoved three dumplings in her mouth at once.

"Hey, what do you guys say we head over to Mishu's Meat Shack again after the meeting? I've been dying for some of his roasted moose lion," said Sokka.

"Can't you just be content with the meat in your mouth for once Sokka? Plus you've forced us to eat there three times since we've been here," said Katara.

"Well fine then. You and Aang can go off on a little date or something while the rest of us enjoy some of Mishu's savory meats."

There was a collective groan from the table. "I'd rather hunt a wild sabre-tooth moose lion myself than go in that disgusting butchery again," said Mai.

"Sorry honey, I'm going to have to side with Mai and Katara on this one," said Suki.

"Oh whatever, you ladies go enjoy your lettuce. Toph will come eat like a man with me, won't you Toph?"

"Well…I would…but I'm kind of planning on leaving Ba Sing Se after we leave here."

"What? Where are you going to go?" asked Aang.

"I want to go back home. I want to try to explain to my parents why I left. If I can get them to understand, I think I'm going to live with them for a while."

"I think that's a great idea Toph," said Katara.

"But you guys have to promise you'll come get me if anything interesting happens. Those peace meetings are the most boring things in the world, but if you need some Phoenix Loyalist ass to be kicked, you better not leave me out," said Toph.

"You better believe it Toph!" said Sokka, "You didn't think you could get out of knocking heads for us that easily did you?"

"Hey, the whole point of these boring peace meetings is that nobody's ass needs to be kicked," asserted Zuko.

"You know as well as anyone Zuko, that some of those Phoenix guys can't be reasoned with," said Sokka in a more serious tone. "They've already tried to assassinate you twice. We all need to stay on our guard."

"What we need to do is achieve compromise that will satisfy everyone. Not knock heads. You sound like my father," retorted Zuko.

"They won't be happy unless the Earth Kingdom is burned to the ground! Does that sound like your father?" replied Sokka heatedly.

"Hey now," interrupted Iroh, "Your vacation is not over until you walk out my doors. I brought you all here to relax, and enjoy the company of the ones you love. You are here to clear your minds of all burdens; why do you think I am serving you so much tea?" he chuckled, and then realizing his joke bombed (nobody ever seemed to appreciate tea jokes like they should), returned to his serious tone. "The world is demanding so much of all of you, but you must all make sure that you allow enough time in your lives for yourselves. Promise me this."

Sokka bowed his head "I promise."

"So do I Uncle," said Zuko. Everyone else muttered their promises as well.

"Good, now I don't want to hear any talk of assassinations or negotiations or politics for the rest of the morning," said Iroh. "I agree with Toph, they sound dreadfully dreary just listening to you talk about them. I could scarcely imagine actually having to sit through them."

"You're telling me," said Sokka. "I'm going to miss vacation time."

The friends finished their breakfast and gathered by the door as Iroh bid them farewell. "Remember, my doors are always open to any of you should you need some time off in Ba Sing Se, or, just a free cup of tea to calm the nerves."

"Thank you Iroh," said Aang, "We appreciate everything that you've done for us."

"Goodbye Iroh," said Toph, "If things work out with my parents, it'll probably be a while before I come back to this place. Take care of yourself big guy."

Iroh let out a hearty laugh, "Don't worry about me Toph, I have never been happier with my life than I am right now. I hope that you are able find what you are looking for back home. But remember, no matter what happens, you will find your way to your destiny in the end."

Katara walked over to Toph hugged her. "Goodbye Toph. I hope you're able to make things right with your parents. Promise you'll keep in touch?"

"You got it Sugar Queen," she gave Aang a punch in the arm. "And take care of Twinkle-Toes for me. It's about time you two got together, but I can't say I'm too sad I got out of here before you started being all cute together."

"I'll miss you too Toph," said Aang.

"Eh, don't miss me too much. If you thought your earth bending training was over you were sorely mistaken. Sifu Toph is taking some time off, but you better believe she'll be back with a vengeance in a couple of years."

"Of course Master Sifu Toph ma'am," mocked Aang with a bow, earning him a second, more forceful, punch on the arm.

"Bye Toph," said Sokka, "I'm going to miss having someone around who will go eat like a slob with me at any hour of the day."

"And I'm going to miss eating like a slob in general. See you around Sokka," she gave him his obligatory arm-punch. "Zuko, Mai, good luck running the Fire Nation. I'm sure you'll be less of a jerk than your dad."

"Uh, thanks. I guess," said Zuko, scratching the back of his head.

"Well…where's the group hug?" said Toph throwing up her arms.

Everybody except Mai participated. "Zuko wasn't a fan of these either at first," said Katara, "But you'll get used to them Mai. Get in here."

"Actually, I think I'm going to pass," replied Mai

"There's really no convincing her," said Zuko.

"Oh well, it was a good enough group hug for me," said Toph. "I'm outta here."

She walked out the door down onto the street, turned to wave one last time, and then she disappeared into the crowd of people walking through the busy marketplace.

"Well, I guess our vacation is over. To the boring meeting!" exclaimed Sokka, raising an arm and extending his index finger.

The three couples piled onto Appa and flew up over the Jasmine Dragon, and towards the center of the city. It was a beautiful morning. Not a cloud in the sky, and at the altitude they were flying there was a cool breeze that felt incredible on what was sure to be a hot summer day in Ba Sing Se.

Mai was leaning into Zuko, who had his arm around her, and Sokka was whispering something in Suki's ear while she rested her head on his shoulder. Aang felt awkward that he and Katara were just sitting next to each other, not being coupley at all. He looked over at Katara who was leaning against Appa's saddle and looking down at the people bustling below. Aang scooted towards her, and reached his arm around to her opposite shoulder. Katara didn't notice Aang's move until his arm made contact with her, and Aang could tell she was slightly startled by the way her muscles tensed beneath his arm as she turned her head towards him. His heart jumped and he began to worry that he had already overstepped his bounds this early into their relationship. But once Katara made eye contact with him and registered what was happening, she smiled at him and nuzzled into his shoulder.

"I was wondering when you were going to do that," she whispered to him.

Aang blushed. He felt silly for thinking that she wouldn't be okay with him putting his arm around her.

"Sorry, it's just that I can't believe that I'm lucky enough to finally have you as my girlfriend. I really don't want to risk messing that up by being too forward."

"You're sweet Aang," she said softly, "But don't be afraid to be a little forward once in a while. It's kind of attractive." As she said this her expression changed to one that Aang was not familiar with, but it made his heart race. She smiled, but it wasn't the innocent happy smile he knew and loved, it was a very feminine smile, and it was not at all innocent; it was a smile that knew exactly what it was doing to Aang, which was sending a flood of hormones through his body.

Aang's face turned a darker shade of red. "Um…sure. I'll keep that in mind."

Katara's expression turned into a contented smile and she leaned into him a little more. Aang found himself wishing that the palace was much farther away.

As it was, they landed in front of the palace doors less than a minute later. General How was waiting there to greet them.

"Hello Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko, and friends. The Earth King and the rest of the Council of Five await you in the throne room. Follow me."

The magnificent palace doors opened and General How led them through the many corridors of the palace to the giant doors of the throne room. "To think," said Sokka, "Not too long ago we were running around through this palace as enemies of the state trying to talk to the Earth King. And now here we are, not enemies of the state, and not running around through the palace, but still trying to talk to the Earth King."

"Truly insightful Sokka," said Katara.

General How opened the doors and led them up the green and yellow carpet to the throne. The Earth King was sitting on his throne speaking to his generals, while Bosco lay next to him. Bosco perked up upon seeing the new arrivals, and ran down on all fours to greet them. He jumped up on Aang and started licking his face, "Hey Bosco," said Aang with a laugh, "Long time no see buddy."

"It is a pleasure to welcome you to my palace Aang, Zuko, Sokka, and Katara. I can't say I recognize you two ladies, but if you're friends of the Avatar you are friends of mine," said the Earth King.

The Earth King continued, "We asked to speak with you today Aang and Zuko, because we have decided that we are willing to compromise on the colony issue."

"That's great news!" exclaimed Aang.

"What is your proposal?" asked Zuko skeptically.

"We hope that you will give your blessings to this proposal Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, as we truly feel that this is the best chance for peace that the world has. We recognize the upheaval and strain it would put on both the Fire Nation and its people should we force them to leave their homes. We do not want to treat them as they treated us during the war, as our fellow man, they deserve our respect. So we have decided that we will not force your citizens to leave our colonies, and they may retain citizenship of the Fire Nation whilst living in our Earth Kingdom cities."

"We plan to commence the military overseeing of the restoration of our territory by the end of the summer," said General How, "We ask that you, Fire Lord Zuko, withdraw all military presence from our cities that you currently occupy by the time our army arrives. Hopefully, this transition will be smooth and peaceful. I personally guarantee, Fire Lord, that your people will be treated with dignity by my soldiers, and that they will not raise their weapons unless weapons are raised against them."

"You know what Zuko, I actually do like this plan. It's fair to your people, but it also compensates the Earth Kingdom for the wrongs the Fire Nation committed against them." said Sokka.

There was a moment of silence while both Zuko and Aang thought over the proposal. Aang was the first to speak. "Your Earthiness, you have the support of the Avatar in your plan. I believe that your proposal is in the best interest of restoring balance to the world by undoing what the Fire Nation did to throw the world out of balance. I am also glad to see that you are willing to show the people of the new Fire Nation the respect they deserve by allowing them to stay in their homes."

"Your support is greatly appreciated Avatar Aang," said the Earth King. "Well, Fire Lord, with your approval we can announce this plan to the world with the solidarity of all nations and the Avatar behind us. I know our Water Tribe friends will not go against both you and the Avatar."

Everybody turned to Zuko, whose brow was furrowed as he thought. "Earth King Kuei, I really do appreciate your willingness to show respect to my people, but I'm sorry, I cannot accept this plan as it is currently proposed."

Aang, Sokka, Suki, and Katara all turned to Zuko with shocked expressions. Mai looked on without hinting at any emotion.

"I'm sorry, I do think that your solution is a reasonable one, but this is simply not something that my people would want. I have to serve them first and foremost."

"Think about it Zuko," said the Earth King, "This plan would surely achieve peace for centuries! How could that not be something that your people want?"  
"While the Phoenix Loyalists are a radical minority, there are also few who are in complete support of me taking my father's throne, or of how closely I am working with the Avatar. To be honest, most of my people are somewhere in between the two extremes. I do not think living under Earth Kingdom rule is a transition that my people will take kindly to so immediately after being told for years that the Fire Nation is superior to all. This plan will not help sway my people to our way of thinking; it will push them to my father's. I don't like it any more than you, but there is no short term fix to this. The colonies must be phased out over the course of many years, as we phase out the mindset that my father poisoned my nation with."

"Yes, well the Earth Kingdom cannot wait that long to heal the wounds we suffered at the hands of your father Zuko. We have to take action to restore balance."

"I'm sorry Earth King Kuei. But my decision is final."

The Earth King's lips thinned. "I am sorry to hear that Fire Lord Zuko. I would have loved to have the support of all of the nations in this great endeavor for peace, but I guess we will have to do with the support of the Avatar and the Water Tribe. Surely the three of you," he motioned to Aang, Sokka, and Katara, "would have no trouble securing the support of the Water Tribes even without Zuko."

"Well…actually, your Earthiness…after hearing Zuko's side…." stammered Aang.

"What? You're withdrawing your support?" exclaimed General How, "Since when did the word of the Avatar mean so little?"

Aang was about to protest, but then he stopped himself. "You're right General How. I need to stand by my word. I'm sorry Zuko, but I do believe that this plan is in the best interest of restoring balance. You have my support Earth King Kuei."

"Excellent. Well, I think that this meeting is over then. Please, enjoy your time in Ba Sing Se, and if there is anything that I as your host can do to make your stay more pleasant, please do not hesitate to ask."

They all expressed their thanks and respectfully bowed. The six of them turned to leave. As soon as they were out of earshot of the King and his generals, Zuko put his hand on Aang's shoulder and gave him a light push forward to indicate that he wanted to walk in front of the group. Aang looked back at their friends, Sokka and Suki were paying more attention to each other than anyone else, but Mai was clearly trying to decipher what it is Zuko wanted to speak to Aang about, and Katara looked at Aang with concern. Once they were several paces in front of their friends Aang said, "I'm sorry Zuko. I know we said we wanted to always stand together when rebuilding the world to show solidarity, but I didn't think you would reject the plan! The Earth King backed me into a corner."

"Aang, I'm not upset with you. I respect your decision. But I realized in there that it was wrong of us to expect that our interests would always align. It is not your duty to watch over my people, and it is not mine to prioritize restoring balance to the world over what my people want. All I ask is that you respect my decisions just as I respect yours, and that we make sure we understand where each other are coming from."

Aang was relieved that Zuko wasn't mad at him, the way General How questioned his honor as the Avatar really flustered him, and he was afraid that he was going to lose a friend because of it. "I respect your decision too Zuko. But more importantly than any of that, I want to make sure that no matter what happens, we don't lose our friendship over the decisions we make. If we ever get to the point where we lose sight of that, I think we know it's time to take a step back from all of this negotiating. Just like your uncle said."

"I agree. Our friendship is far more important."

"I'm glad we talked about this. I feel a lot better about everything."

"So do I. We should get back with the group. Mai is going to explode if she has to pretend she doesn't care what we're talking about for another second."

They slowed down to let everyone else catch up to them. They were just exiting the royal grounds and entering the inner ring. Katara positioned herself next to Aang. "What did Zuko want to talk about?"

"I'll tell you later, but I'm really glad he did talk to me. Everything is good between us."

"Good. I was worried that all of that was going to turn us against each other."

"It still won't be easy, but I'm not nearly as worried as I was."

"I'm glad. I want you to know that no matter what happens Aang, I'll always be on your side." To Aang's surprise, she took his hand and laced her fingers with his. Aang felt a little silly for being so excited by holding hands, but it was the first time they had done it, and it was such a new (and nice) feeling.

"Thanks Katara, that really means the world to me."

The six friends walked through the hot summer streets of Ba Sing Se together. They perused shops full of things they would never need, watched street performers and actually didn't get themselves involved, and visited a certain zoo that Aang insisted would be worth their while. Aang knew that there were going to be tough trials ahead for the six of them, and it wasn't going to be easy to stay as close as they had all been the past couple of weeks, but it was days like that day in Ba Sing Se, having fun and laughing together, that made him feel deep down that nothing could cause them to forget the love for each other that they shared.

Aang had never felt more ready to embrace the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long wait, finals and stuff came up. I'm on break now so you might expect chapter 4 to be up in a shorter amount of time. Also, this chapter turned out to be extremely Kataangy. Lucky you guys.**

**Chapter 3**

The sun rose over the peaks of the mountains on Kyoshi Island. Aang threw the last of the supplies that he and Katara would need for the week long trip to the South Pole onto Appa's saddle. Sokka and Suki were standing at the beach with them to bid them farewell.

It had been about three weeks since they left Ba Sing Se. Zuko and Mai chose to arrange their own transportation back to the Fire Nation (Zuko mentioned that he wanted to be able to speak with his advisors on the trip home, but Aang suspected he just wanted some alone time with Mai). They said their goodbyes in the city, and Zuko told Aang to send a messenger hawk if there was anything he needed. This excited Sokka, who had been waiting for an excuse to replace Hawky.

So it was Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki who left Ba Sing Se on Appa together. Suki wanted to return home, and Sokka expressed that he wanted to spend some time on Kyoshi Island with her before returning to the South Pole. Katara told Aang that she wouldn't have him travel alone, and that she would go wherever he wanted to. But Aang could tell that she missed her home, and said that he needed to talk to the Water Tribe chiefs anyway, and that he wanted her father's advice on how to handle the situation with Zuko and the Earth King. It was true that Aang could think of nowhere he was pressingly needed, and he probably would have considered going to the Water Tribes anyway, but the happiness on Katara's face when he told her made it the clear choice. It was also true that Aang admired Hakota's skill as a leader, and as the Water Tribe did not have too large of a stake in the issue for themselves, he suspected that Hakota's advice would be invaluable.

They made good time on the way from Ba Sing Se to Kyoshi Island. It was very far, but it had taken them over six weeks to cover a similar distance a year ago. Not having to zigzag around to avoid an angry pony-tailed Zuko and an evil side-burned admiral made a world of difference. Plus they flew six to eight hours a day, only stopping so Appa could rest, or when they needed supplies.

The long hours flying could have been much more boring than it was during the war, because hardly anything interrupted their routine. But the thing that made it ten times better was that he was dating Katara. Even now, it was still a little hard for him to believe, but he was getting much more comfortable interacting with her as his girlfriend. Not that they could do anything _too_ personal, as Sokka was almost never more than a few feet away. Usually, the physical part of their newfound relationship was limited to Aang having his arm around Katara frequently while they were flying, and that was certainly nice in its own right. He loved the feeling of Katara's body leaning into his own, she always smelled so good, and her hair was so soft as it pressed against his neck and cheek. But much as he cherished the physical contact, it didn't satisfy his yearning for her as much as it fueled it.

They did take advantage of what limited opportunities they had to steal a kiss or two, usually before going to bed (Sokka was always the first to fall asleep), and sometimes they'd take a walk together after they set up camp. There was only one instance when they kissed like they did at Iroh's, and it was one of the most incredible nights of Aang's young life. It probably could have happened a few more times, but Katara was waiting for Aang to make the move, and between the time it took for Aang to realize this and the time it took for him to muster up the courage to actually do it, almost two weeks had gone by.

They had set up camp on a large river delta in one of the great rivers that ran through the Earth Kingdom. Aang and Katara went for one of their walks after they had eaten a dinner of fish and cooked vegetables. It was a gorgeous summer night; the delta was covered in a lush green forest, but the forest wasn't so dense that it shut out the light of the full moon. They had been walking around aimlessly holding hands for fifteen minutes or so, when the forest cleared a bit, and they could see a small rocky shore on the river bank. They found a particularly comfortable looking rock and sat down on it. The full moon was shining brightly and reflecting beautifully off of the water in the gently flowing river. Aang put his arm around Katara and she leaned into him.

"I don't know if it's because I'm a waterbender, but I just feel so alive on the night of the full moon. I mean, I can feel that my bending is more powerful, but it's not just that. I don't know exactly how to describe it any better than I feel this excitement inside of me," Katara had said.

"Well, I'm excited too. And it might be the full moon, but it might also be the pretty girl who's sitting right next to me."

"But how could I compete with Yue? She's gorgeous," said Katara with an exaggerated pout.

"Yeah, she's pretty. But you're the most beautiful girl in the world," he turned his head over his shoulder to the sky, "No offense Yue."

Katara giggled. "I love you Aang."

"I love you too." He pecked her on the lips. They looked out across the water for a minute without saying anything. Then Katara said, "Hey wait a second, see that mountain over there? Over the trees? That has to be the mountain over the Cave of Two Lovers! It's the only mountain on this side of the river."

"You're right Katara! Wow, it's hard to believe that we passed under that mountain just months ago. It seems like so much longer. We've changed so much since then."

"We had our first kiss in that cave," said Katara, turning her head towards him, "We've definitely gotten a lot better at that. Our lips barely brushed in there. And then at Iroh's…"

Aang's heart began to race at those words. He turned his head towards her, the moon was lighting up her gorgeous blue eyes, as they looked right into Aang's own. The signal had really never been any clearer, she loved that kiss every bit as much as he did, and she definitely wanted more. Aang tilted his head to the side, and leaned in to kiss her. Once Katara had seen that he was making the move, she didn't wait, she came forward to meet his lips a bit sooner than Aang (who had closed his eyes) had expected. They held their lips just like that for a few seconds, savoring the extended contact. Then Aang brought his other arm around and put his hand on her hip, and Katara brought her arms around his neck and pulled his body in even closer. It was even better than their kiss at Iroh's. He thought Katara was into it then, but she was all _over_ him right then. She ran her hands around his torso and leaned forward to kiss him even more intensely, even pushing Aang's head back a bit with the force of her kiss. They experimented with their kissing a little more, moving their lips around more and incorporating smaller kisses. It was so exhilarating; Aang had dreamed of kissing this girl for over a year, and now he was hanging on for dear life while she kissed him furiously. They must have stayed there for ten minutes before they settled down enough to pull away with a little more finality.

Aang wasn't really sure prior to this what "real" kissing involved. Maybe that was why he was so hesitant to initiate. Having grown up in a temple of all boys, and having mostly chosen to spend time with kids his own age on his travels, he really had no idea what to expect. He knew that there was a lot more to it than the pecks that he and Katara had shared in the past, because what else would Sokka and Suki be doing in their tent for all of that time? Ok, actually, he didn't really want to think about that. But once he was actually there in the moment, his instinct just took over and (with a little help from Katara's enthusiasm) everything just happened naturally. Having been raised a monk and then burdened with the immense responsibility of being the Avatar, it was a completely new feeling to let his hormonal drive take over instead of suppressing it all of the time. Just being able to let go, and kiss Katara like that was so much more magical than he had ever dreamt it to be.

He could still picture the way that Katara was beaming at him afterwards, and he was sure his face carried a very similar expression. "Now _that_," said Katara, "is a kiss."

Aang smiled and hugged her. "That was amazing. I love you."

"I love you too. We should head back to camp. Sokka's probably going to hunt us down if we stay out here any longer."

"Most of the animal kingdom is able to evade Sokka's hunting. I'm sure we'll be fine."

Katara laughed and stood up, tugging on Aang's hand. Aang obliged and hugged her one more time, before taking her hand again and walking back into the forest, still a little dazed by what had just happened.

Aang was going to cherish that memory for the rest of his life. Everything was just so perfect, it's like it was all meant to happen. But it wasn't just the physical part that Aang was becoming more comfortable with; he was transitioning from thinking of Katara as a best friend that he had feelings for, to a girlfriend. And although they weren't extremely different, it was enough that it took some time to get used to. He no longer had to worry about masking those feelings for her when speaking to her; he could tell her how beautiful she looked every day and it would be sweet not creepy, he could hug her for absolutely no reason, and he could tell her virtually anything. He pretty much could before, he had confided in Katara more than anyone, but it just felt so much better knowing that there was absolutely nothing that he was keeping from her, no awkwardness of feelings he knew he had to hide. Plus, now Katara had a new way to make him feel better; she was just as good as she ever was at making him feel better with words, but sometimes a kiss and an "I love you" just does a much better job.

And now, Aang and Katara had almost an entire week to themselves. None of Sokka's judgmental looks or "smoochy" warnings. He realized that ever since he had met Katara, he'd really never had this kind of extended alone time with her. There was always Sokka, or Toph, or Zuko, or someone. And as much as he loved Sokka and Suki, he couldn't wait for the rest of the trip to the South Pole. And he didn't have to wait any longer.

"Tell dad that I'll be back in a month or two," said Sokka as he hugged his sister. "Be careful out there."

"What is there to be careful of?" said Katara, "We're two master benders travelling over a completely uninhabited stretch of icy ocean."

"Hey, all I'm saying is that in the past I've always been there to look out for you myself, now it's just going to be you and Aa—oh hog monkeys it's just going to be you and Aang. Okay listen up you two."

Katara smacked her forehead, and Aang shifted uncomfortably. For a moment Suki looked as though she was about to stop him, but instead just shook her head and looked away.

"Now both of you are at an age where you're going to be having certain natural urges. And in the past I've been able to control these urges for you, but now you have to learn to control them yourselves. Katara you're my baby sister, and I really don't want you to do something that you'll regret. Plus, Aang has his hands full with his avatar stuff right now, and he can't afford to be worried about little airbender babies running around—"

"FOR SPIRIT'S SAKES SOKKA HE'S THIRTEEN!" shouted Katara.

"Just because he's thirteen doesn't mean you can't have se—"

"And this conversation is officially over," interjected Suki.

"You're my hero," said Katara.

"But I wasn't finished! You still better not be—"

"_Over_, Sokka," said Suki sternly.

There were a few incredibly long seconds of silence.

"Anyway…" began Aang awkwardly, "Thanks for letting us stay with the Kyoshi Warriors for the night Suki. We really appreciate it."

"Are you kidding me? It was the least I could do after you let me travel on Appa with you for the better part of two months." She patted Appa's head, and then hugged Aang, followed by Katara.

"Keep in touch Katara, and take care of Sokka for me when he goes home."

"Maybe if he learns to mind his own business," she glared at Sokka, "Otherwise, not making any promises."

"Fair enough. I guess I'll need to have a talk with him about that then, because frankly, I don't think Sokka could survive without a woman taking care of him."

"Hey! I heard that! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"Sure you are dear," said Sukki, "Hey the girls and I are probably going to go late with our training tonight. Would you mind sewing those pants up yourself? Oh and I would love it if you could have a hot meal ready when I get back."

Sokka grumbled something none of them quite caught, and that was probably for the better.

"Well, we should really be going," said Katara, "Thanks again Suki! See you at home Sokka."

Despite their brief argument, she still gave him one more hug. Aang had been itching to get going, and happily airbended himself up onto Appa's back. "Bye guys!" he said with a wave. Katara climbed onto Appa as well, and they took off, with Sokka and Suki's waving figures shrinking into specks behind them.

"So…" began Aang, "Just you, me, Appa, and Momo. I was thinking about it, and that's a first isn't it?"

"For more than a few hours, yeah I guess it is. How are we ever going to pass the time without Sokka or Toph around to keep us entertained?"

"I think I may have an idea or two," said Aang, as he leaned in for a kiss. They kissed softly, not like they did the night on the river delta, but it still lasted longer than most of the kisses they'd been able to share.

Katara rested her head on Aang's shoulder, and Aang leaned onto the side of Appa's saddle. Momo curled himself in a corner for a nap.

"I'm so excited to finally be home again, even if it is just briefly. It's been so long, and I haven't even heard from Gran Gran at all," said Katara.

"You really love her don't you?"

"When my dad left for the war, my mother had already passed, and Gran Gran was all that Sokka and I had. She could never replace my mother, but she helped to fill at least a little of the void that losing mom left inside of me. And she did so much for us."

"I hope I can get to know her better. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot," said Aang with a guilty smile.

"I hope you can too. But if you hadn't gotten off on the wrong foot, then none of this would have happened. I probably would have stayed at the South Pole while you went off on your own."

"No way, I was determined to take you along. I told you, I liked you from the moment I saw you."

Katara smiled, "You're sweet. What about your family? I know I'll never get to meet them, but do you miss them? You never told me about that part of your life."

"Well, family works, or well, I guess worked a little differently in the Air Nomad culture. Airbenders went to the temple as soon as they discovered their bending. Which for me, was when I was four years old. So I only have a few memories of my parents."

"How can they just separate families like that? That's terrible that you never even got to know them!"

"The monks taught us that we need to let go of the things that attach us to the physical world. And removing us from our families so young made it so that that kind of earthly attachment never gets in the way. But once you were older and you understood the importance of that, you got to see your parents. You didn't even have to choose to be a monk once you were sixteen. You could go live as a nomad like a good amount of our people and all of our nonbenders did."

"What would you have chosen?"

"I don't know. Being the Avatar makes things really complicated. When I spoke to Avatar Yangchen, she made me realize that the Avatar can never achieve spiritual enlightenment, because we are bound to the world by our duty to it. So I really don't know what decision I would have made when I reached that age, but now, I think I need to strike a balance. I can't live the life of an air monk, because I have too many responsibilities as the Avatar. But I also have responsibilities as the last airbender, I need to preserve their—_my _culture. But at the same time, I have a responsibility to have children, otherwise there will be no more airbenders, and monks didn't marry."

"What do _you _want Aang?"

"I really do believe in what the monks preached. I'm going to do as much as I can to live by their teachings, but I also have to accept the fact that being the Avatar, and the last airbender, I can't do everything. I wish I didn't have to do this on my own!"

"Maybe you don't have to."

"I appreciate it Katara, but I'm not sure there's anything you could do to help."

"That's not what I meant. I mean, maybe you could teach people the culture of the air nomads. There are sure to be people who are willing to learn their ways from you, and even if there are no more airbenders, have to be people who have at least some air nomad blood in them. And now that the war is over, they won't be afraid to speak up about it."

Aang hadn't thought about this. When Katara had first told him that Fire Nation had committed genocide on his people, he was sure that they couldn't have gotten all of them. After all, the air temples were miles in the sky, and even if they did manage to get to those, the air nomad people did not have cities that could be captured. They wandered through the mountains and other nations. He was so certain that they would meet at least a few airbenders on their travels. But as the months passed and nobody they met had ever seen an airbender, and he saw the devastation that they wreaked on all of the air temples, he lost hope, and came to terms with the fact that he truly was the last. But what Katara had said was true, if there were air nomads in other nations and they heard that the Fire Nation was wiping out airbenders, they wouldn't have revealed their identity. Especially nonbenders who didn't have arrow tattoos, they would have just blended in with the people around them!

"You're right Katara! I could put the word out all around the world that I want to speak with descendants of air nomads! And I could teach them their ancestor's culture! Thank you thank you thank you I love you so much!" He squeezed her tight and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm glad I could help," said Katara as she nuzzled into his chest. Aang's spirits were very high for the rest of the day, all he could do with think about how he was going to teach his culture to the descendants of his people, and how he could clean up all of the air temples and have people live there all the time, and how he could appoint honorary air monks to represent the air nomads in international talks so that he didn't have to alone. Well, that's not _all_ he could think about. It was hard not to think about Katara. They talked, and kissed, until the sun was low in the sky, and they landed on a very small rocky island to eat and set up camp.

Appa touched the ground, and Aang still had his arm around Katara, he decided he was going to try something. He reached his other arm underneath her legs and jumped into the air with the help of airbending. Katara yelped and clutched him tightly, as they soared twenty feet into the air, and descended as slowly as a leaf. Aang let Katara's feet onto the ground, still not entirely sure what kind of reaction he had gotten out of her.

"You caught me off-guard Aang," said Katara, "That should have been terrifying. But I felt safe hanging on to you." She kissed him on the cheek.

Aang blushed. "I'm glad I make you feel safe."

"I never feel safer than when I'm with you."

"Even if I'm not here to 'control your urges?'"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Don't even get me started on Sokka. Who does he think he is monitoring my relationship like that? Does he really think we'd be that stupid?"

"Being protective is how he shows you he loves you."

"I really wish he'd find another way to do it. I love him to death, but he gets on my nerves so much when he acts like he knows what's best for me when I've been the one taking care of him ever since our mom died."

"Maybe he knows that. Maybe he feels like he should be the one taking care of you, and that's why he's so protective. I think humoring him a little would help."

"Huh, I never really thought about it like that. Maybe you're right. Still though, I don't know if I'm a good enough actress for that. Remember when we tried to get me arrested so I could rescue Haru? That was awful."

Aang laughed, recalling the terribly staged earthbending, "I guess you're right. Either those guards were looking for people to arrest or they were plain dumb."

"Probably both," said Katara.

Aang started a campfire, and they ate a small meal of dumplings and vegetables. After eating they made themselves comfortable, leaning up against Appa's warm belly. They talked for a couple hours more and the sun set, and it had grown considerably colder in its absence, but the most incredible thing happened when it did. The sky began to light up with rich colors of blue and green, it was like nothing Aang had ever seen before. He had heard stories of the southern lights, but he never paid much attention to them, he had no idea that they would be this beautiful!

"Katara, are those the southern lights? They're breathtaking."

"Yes they're beautiful. Gran Gran told me that they're caused by the spirits dancing in the sky."

"I wonder what they're so happy about."

"Well, you're coming. Not only are you the bridge between our world and theirs, but you also just ended one of the most devastating wars in history."

Aang chuckled. "You haven't met as many spirits as I have Katara. There's no way they're doing that just for me."

"I wouldn't be at all surprised. If I could dance in the sky, I'd do it every time you came."

Aang smiled, and kissed her. They continued to kiss very calmly, it didn't have the energy of their other extended kisses, but it didn't need to. It was just soothing and relaxing kissing. They stayed huddled together against Appa for a little while longer, just talking, and kissing like that. Katara's tent was just a few feet away, but she seemed loathe to go back to it. Aang used the firebending breathing techniques that Zuko had taught him to warm his body; he was sure Katara would appreciate it.

Aang didn't remember how it had happened, he must have dozed off without meaning to, because he woke up the next morning and Katara was fast asleep huddled up next to him with her head on his shoulder, just like she had been before he fell asleep the previous night. He didn't want to move and wake Katara up, there was something that felt amazing about having her asleep on his shoulder, but at the same time, he was hungry. He tried to slip out from underneath her without her noticing, but he was unsuccessful; he had barely moved a few inches when Katara's eyes opened slightly.

"Aang? Is it morning?"

"Yep. I was just going to get some breakfast. You can go back to sleep if you want to."

Katara sat up. "No, I'm up. Good thing Sokka isn't around. He'd have a fit if he saw us asleep like that."

"I thought it was nice," said Aang.

"It was wonderful waking up to you," replied Katara.

They ate a breakfast of fruit, and took off within the hour. Aang sat at Appa's head for the beginning, to make sure that Appa was headed straight for Katara's village, and Katara sat in the saddle as close as she could to Aang, and pulled out some knitting.

The next several days fell into a new routine. They would spend their time flying mostly talking about anything on their minds, which for Aang were the specifics of the idea Katara had suggested about finding Air Nomad descendants. He had never explained the details of his culture to anyone since he woke up from the iceberg. Katara seemed genuinely interested, and that naturally led into conversations about the southern water tribe culture. Aang knew that Katara's village was isolated, as she had told him that she had never been away from the South Pole at the beginning of their journey, but he didn't realize that she had absolutely nobody her own age to talk to but Sokka from the time when the men left for the war. He felt bad for her, and he was so glad he was able to change that.

After flying for several hours, they would land and set up camp just before sunset, and eat. Most of the food that the mayor of Kyoshi Island had given them was vegetarian for Aang, so it was some combination of vegetables, bread, cheese, and dumplings every night. Although Katara had eaten meat her entire life, she was much more willing to adjust to Aang's diet that her brother. Sokka's mood would get noticeably unpleasant when others had taken similar considerations when supplying them with food.

Once they had spent some time digesting their food, they would practice waterbending. They had begun practicing again once they left Ba Sing Se. Prior to that, they had been too busy and didn't have a good place to practice anyway. Waterbending practice had always been the highlight of Aang's day, ever since they had left the North Pole. It was the only regular time in the day that belonged just to Katara and him, and nobody else. Even before they were dating, this was something that Aang cherished.

Katara was still a much better waterbender than he was, even though he had essentially mastered all of the forms. She just flowed through the stances much more naturally than he did, and was able to put more power behind her moves. Aang guessed that this was because Katara relied on waterbending much more than Aang did. Whenever Aang had to think fast, he still primarily turned to airbending; he had by far the most confidence in it, and it was ingrained in him so deeply that it was his natural reaction to a threat. He realized that this was a problem, for the very reason that made itself apparent whenever Katara kicked his butt during their sparring, and he told himself that he would try to fix it.

After they had thoroughly exhausted themselves with waterbending, they would curl up against Appa together. They'd kissed each other goodnight (for a good five or so minutes) and then fall asleep. They fell asleep like that every night for the rest of the trip, and after the first time, it was completely on purpose.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Katara, is this really necessary?" groaned Aang, as the features of Katara's village grew clearer with their rapid approach.

"Absolutely. You said you wanted to impress my father. Well, this is the perfect way to do it."

"Yeah…but on second thought, saving the world should be impressive enough shouldn't it?

I can bend all four elements at once! That's impressive! Why does it have to be this?"

"Aang, it'd be one thing if you were asking for Ozai's blessing to date Azula, but this is my dad we're talking about, he thinks you're great!"

Aang pretended to gag at the mention of him dating Azula. "But if you're so sure he's going to give me his blessing, why even ask? He'll catch on."

"Because that's not how he'd want to find out Aang! That's not how _I_ want him to find out. Please do this sweetie? For me?" She put a hand on his cheek, and looked at him with her wide crystal blue eyes, knowing full well that she could get Aang to do anything with that move.

"I guess I don't have a choice if you're going to be _that _adamant about it."

"No. No you don't," said Katara with a slight smirk, and then a swift kiss on the cheek, "But even so, I'll be sure to make it worth your while."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" inquired Aang playfully.

"Oh, a girl has her ways," said Katara, her smirk turning into that feminine smile that never failed to quicken Aang's pulse.

"What kind of ways?" asked Aang. He tried to mask his intense desire to know exactly what she was getting at with the same playful tone he had just been using.

"Worry about doing your job first, then we'll talk about your reward. Actually, with what I have in mind, there won't be much need for talking at all."

Aang's imagination ran away with different interpretations of Katara's words, each idea getting less and less realistic, as his hormones started to take over the brainstorming process, and Katara started to have less and less clothing with each fantasy.

He guided Appa low over the icy water, towards the dock that he was positive was not there the last time he was at the South Pole. In fact, now that they were this close, he realized that he hardly recognized the place. The small circle of tents that once comprised the entire village now saw the addition of many new and larger tents, as well as wooden cabins. It seemed much livelier with the integration of the northerners and the return of the men from the war. Aang had met maybe twenty people the first time he had come to the village over a year ago, and now there were dozens of people out and about, chopping wood, haggling with fishermen, and tending to arctic hen. What Paku and the northerners were able to do in just a few short months was astounding. Aang looked over to Katara, who looked shocked, but also overwhelmingly happy at the sight of her village thriving after what must have been so many tough years of seeing it struggle to survive. Aang put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, who was wiping tears from her eyes.

The sight of them caused quite a commotion before they had even landed. The villagers who saw their approach ran in to fetch their families, and by the time they were about to land, it seemed as though the whole village knew of their arrival. They landed in the middle of the village, by the big fire pit that still served as a gathering spot, while curious people were coming out of their homes to see the Avatar in person.

"Dad!" cried Katara, seeing her father emerging from the crowd that was gathering around them. She ran to hug him.

"Katara! I wasn't expecting you to be back home so soon! But I'm so happy to see you. It's great to see you too Aang." He looked over to Aang, and even though Aang had no intentions of asking for his blessing to date Katara in front of practically the entire village, Hakota's gaze still invoked that nervousness.

"It's good to see you too sir," replied Aang, trying not to let any hint of the butterflies in his stomach slip into his voice.

"What's with the formalities? You know you can call me Hakota."

"Oh, uh, yes. Of course sir-uh-_Hakota_. Sorry."

Hakota looked at him a bit strangely, and Katara looked at him with an expression that was screaming "_really_?", but thankfully neither pressed him on the matter.

They stayed with the crowd just long enough for those who knew to Katara personally to welcome her home, during which time Aang was being pestered questions from the other villagers about his heroics, a subject he loathed talking about. He envied Katara's situation; she was being bombarded with questions about her, from people who actually cared about Katara the person. These people didn't care that they were speaking to Aang. The cared that they were speaking to theAvatar. He just wished that sometimes he could be treated as a normal person by people other than his dearest friends. It bothered him even more now that it was a time of peace, at least during the war he could understand why people would treat him as a hero, because often times he was saving their lives, but now, he wasn't saving anybody's life, he was just visiting to make his girlfriend happy. Nothing heroic about it. Nonetheless he tried to put on a smile, and modestly answer their absurd questions (Aang's favorite was the man who asked if merging with the ocean spirit had left him with any permanent fish-like features on his body).

It wasn't soon enough that Hakota gave an excuse to get them away from the crowd and back to his tent. The tent was much homier than the one he'd woken up in after Katara and Sokka had taken him here from the iceberg, it was more similar to the tent Bato was living in when they chanced upon him separated from the rest of the Water Tribe fleet. There were animal pelts on the walls and on the ground (not Aang's favorite water tribe decor) and a cooking fire going with what looked like some stewed sea prunes being prepared over it (not Aang's favorite water tribe food). The tent was much larger than Bato's temporary home was, it had a pair of beds just past the room they were standing in (which Aang surmised served as a kitchen and family gathering space) and that room opened up to another room on the left side. Aang figured it was probably another bedroom for two, as Katara, Sokka, their parents, and grandmother must have all lived here together years ago.

"Is Gran Gran here?" asked Katara once they entered the tent.

"She's living with Paku now. We'll visit her soon, but I told everybody out there that I had business with Aang, so we need to at least pretend we talked about something important in here."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot that she wouldn't be living with us anymore now that she's married to Paku," said Katara, with more than a hint of disappointment in her voice. She turned her attention to the aroma coming from the simmering pot, "Oh, I would love a bowl of stewed sea prunes. I hadn't gone a week without the stuff my entire life, and it's felt so wrong this past year to all of the sudden have it only on occasion."

"Help yourself. You too Aang," said Hakota.

"That's okay," said Aang, "I'm not very hungry." That was a lie, but he really hoped he didn't have to have another bowl of stewed sea prunes for the rest of his life. Although he was dismayed to hear that it was such a staple of Katara's diet. That could make it trickier to avoid than he thought.

"Suit yourself, but you're missing out," said Hakota. He grabbed himself a bowl as well and they all took seats on the floor around the table.

"So if I had to guess, I'd say that you didn't come here just to visit. Are you having trouble with negotiations? Is there anything the Water Tribe can do to help?"

"It's nothing like that Dad," said Katara, "Aang just wants your advice."

Aang nodded. "I'm in a bit of a tricky situation with Zuko and the Earth King."

"Fill me in and I'd be happy to offer what wisdom I can."

"Well you see, the Earth King proposed this plan that sounded like a great compromise; he was going to reclaim the Fire Nation colonies but not kick the Fire Nation citizens out, or even make them citizens of the Earth Kingdom, they would just be Fire Nation citizens living in the Earth Kingdom."

"I can see how that would look good on paper," said Hakota, "But you'd have a lot of angry Fire Nation colonists on your hands."

"That's basically what Zuko said. But the thing is, I sorta agreed to the plan without thinking it through, before Zuko had a chance to speak his mind. And once I agreed, I couldn't go back on my word without hurting my relationship with the Earth King. But Zuko wouldn't waver, so I'm afraid that once the Earth King mobilizes his forces to take back territory, Zuko might fight to defend it, and the world will slip right back into war."

"And preventing that is your number one priority yes?"

"Absolutely, we will never have balance as long as the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation are at war."

"Well then you need to make it clear to the Earth King that you will not tolerate any military aggression against the Fire Nation."

"Maybe he would understand that, but what if he decides to go through with it anyway without my support? He could just say that I withdrew it too late."

"I think you misunderstood me, I said to tell him you will not _tolerate_ him being aggressive, not that you won't support him. I have read enough history scrolls to know that past avatars commanded respect from the world leaders both through the title of Avatar but more importantly through _fear._ The Avatar is the most powerful bender on the planet, anointed by the spirits, and possessing what some would call mystical powers. No ruler would dare oppose the Avatar, and those that did met an unhappy end. Why do you think Sozin waited until after Avatar Roku's death to start the war? Hell, even you showed that you're capable of this by defeating the most powerful man the world has seen in centuries."

"But I don't want to threaten King Kuei! His heart's in the right place. I can't just go taking out every leader I have a disagreement with."

"There's a difference between threatening and demanding with authority. It is a fine line I admit, so you must walk it carefully, but I promise that every Avatar that has dealt with this kind of problem commanded their authority through their incredible power. It is the very purpose of the Avatar having such incredible power."

"Remember when Roku showed you his life history Aang? You told us he confronted Sozin personally and put his foot down on his expansion into the Earth Kingdom. He even fought against him right?" said Katara.

"Yes. He would have killed him if it weren't for the fact that they were once best friends. Sozin was no match for him. But there's one important difference. Roku had already spent years mastering the four elements; he was a fully realized Avatar. I'm basically relying on a crash course in all of the elements except air."

"You defeated Ozai and his entire fleet of airships as far as Earth King Kuei is concerned. You may not have the power of a fully realized Avatar yet, but with your accomplishments, you can bluff pretty damn convincingly. And in the meantime, if you don't feel that you've truly mastered all of the elements, I would make changing that a priority," said Hakota.

"You think I should study my bending? Even though the war just ended?"

"Unfortunately Aang, you're most likely going to have your hands full with this stuff for decades. Better to get it out of the way, because like I said, it can be key in dealing with things and coming out with as few headaches as possible."

"Thanks for the advice Hakota. Zuko told me that he refused the Earth King's plan, because he knew what his priority as a leader was, and I think I know mine now. I'll do whatever it takes to prevent war from breaking out again."

"That sounds like a very wise position for you to take Aang. Is there anything else? Or will your visit be this short-lived?"

"Well, actually now I'm thinking I might be staying much longer than I planned to."

Katara turned to him with a surprised expression, he knew she had prepared herself to have to say goodbye not long after seeing everyone again. "What do you mean Aang? I thought we were just going to spend a couple of nights."

"We were. But that was before I decided to resume my waterbending training with Master Paku. I figure if I'm going to remaster the elements, I might as well do them in order."

Katara's face lit up, "That's a great idea! We can learn together! Just like we always planned to."

"That was my thinking," said Aang, wearing a proud smile that can only come from making his girlfriend this happy.

"Wasn't there one other thing you wanted to ask him Aang?" said Katara.

"Umm...I don't think so," replied Aang slowly as he racked his brain for what he could be forgetting.

"Oh I'm pretty sure there is. Something that had you babbling like an idiot twenty minutes ago..."

"Oh! Uh-yes, yes there is." He had pushed the thought of asking for Hakota's blessing after his "babbling" earlier, and as a result he had completely forgotten about it. And now that he was thinking about it again, that nervousness was back in full force.

Hakota raised an eyebrow. "Fire away," he said with an amused expression.

"Hakota, Katara and I, uh, we recently realized...that, um, well, we really like each other. As more than just friends. And it would mean a lot to Katara, and to me, if we could have your blessing to, you know, be together."

Well, he managed to communicate something that he was pretty sure was close to what he was trying to get across. He completely spitballed it and was pretty sure he sounded like every bit of the babbling idiot that Katara had just described him as, but boy did it feel great to have that giant hog monkey off of his chest.

Hakota put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Of course you have my blessing. In what time I had to get to know you Aang, I've seen for myself what a caring, loyal, and moral person you are. I couldn't think of a man I'd rather see my daughter with."

Aang was taken aback by the sincerity of Hakota's words. Even the fact that he had referred to him as a man showed what respect he had for Aang even at his young age, which honestly surprised him. Hakota seemed like a man who reserved that kind of respect for very few people, and he was honored to be counted among those few. For as poorly as Aang delivered his end of it, Hakota picked up the slack to make it a truly touching moment.

"Thank you Dad," said Katara as she pulled her father into a hug.

"I love you Katara. You've grown to be such a remarkable young woman, and I couldn't be more proud of you," said Hakota

"Thanks Dad. I love you too."

"Let's finish our sea prunes and then I'd say we're safe to go visit Gran Gran and Paku,"

"Really? Can we go now? I've missed Gran Gran so much," pleaded Katara.

"But my sea prunes..." said Hakota, as a very Sokka-like expression came over his face.

"I'm sure Gran Gran will have something for you to eat Dad. Now let's go," said Katara, tugging on his arm.

"Alright, alright. They're living in one of the new cabins just a minute's walk from here."

It turned out to be less than a minute, as Katara was hurrying them along. Of all of the reasons that Katara was excited to visit home, it was obvious that seeing Gran Gran again was her primary motivation. She eagerly knocked on the wooden door when they had arrived, and it was answered by a surprised Paku.

"Katara? Aang? What are you doing here?"

"Kind of a long story," said Katara, "We'll explain in a minute. Is Gran Gran there?"

"Well come in, come in. Kanna! We have guests!"

"Am I going to be making dinner for a bunch of your students again?" came a familiar voice from the second room.

"In a manner of speaking," said Paku with a small smile.

"Well make yourselves at home, spirits know you'll need some relaxation after whatever Paku-" Kanna stopped mid-sentence as she had just entered the room and saw who her guests were. She beamed in a very Katara-like way at the sight of her granddaughter.

"Katara?"

"Gran Gran!" Katara ran to her and threw her arms around her. "I missed you so much Gran Gran."

"Katara. I've missed you too. Your father and Paku told me all about the amazing things you've done and how you're an incredibly skilled waterbender now, just like you always dreamed of being. I am sohappy for you, and even more proud."

"Thanks Gran Gran. But Aang is the one who did most of the work; I was just helping him out."

"Ah yes, I feel that I owe you an apology Avatar. I didn't trust you like I should have when you first showed up in out village, and for that I am sorry. Katara is very lucky to have you as a friend."

"You mean she's lucky to have him as a boyfriend," said Hakota.

Kanna raised an eyebrow, "Boyfriend huh?" she chuckled, "To think that there was a time I worried that you would never bring home a nice young man for dinner because there were no boys your age in the village. And now you bring home the Avatar for dinner! You've really outdone yourself Katara!"

Katara blushed. "Gran Gran," she said in a warning, yet embarrassed tone.

"Oh shush Katara I was only kidding. Have a seat everyone, dinner will be ready in a half hour or so."

Kanna went back into the kitchen to tend to the meal she was cooking, and everybody else moved to take their seats in the living room.

"So Aang," said Paku, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing down here in the South Pole? I'd figured you'd be quite busy with the war having just ended not even two months ago."

"Actually things are at a bit of a standstill as far as negotiations go. I came here to talk to Hakota, and his advice made me realize that I need to master the elements again, but the right way this time. Would you be willing to take me as your pupil once again Master Paku?"

"I would also love to resume my waterbending training," said Katara, "Aang and I were thinking we could learn together."

"Teaching a teenage couple together? That sounds like a grand time for an old man."

"Wait, you mean you won't teach us together?" asked Aang incredulously, this felt a lot like the bitter and stubborn Paku that had refused to teach Katara just because she was a girl.

Paku sighed, "I will as long as you promise to _behave_."

"Of course Master," said Aang.

"You have nothing to worry about," said Katara.

"Very well. At the North Pole I was focused on teaching you the fundamentals so you could do most of your learning yourselves on your travels, but this time I shall be much more particular, because only with strict attention to detail can a proficient waterbender take their bending to the next level. So be prepared. I'll be waiting for you by the dock tomorrow at dawn. And don't think just because we're family now that I'll be any more forgiving of tardiness."

They stayed for a few more hours, Kanna made one of the first Water Tribe meals that Aang had actually enjoyed, he declined the artic hen, but the dumplings and whatever sauce she put on the rice were delicious. It was dark by the time that Aang and Katara left, Hakota decided he was going to stay a little longer and told them to head back to the tent without him.

"What did Paku think we were going to do anyway?" said Katara as they were walking back to the tent, "Start making out in the middle of a lesson?"

Aang laughed, "As much as I would love that, Paku can be scary when he wants to be. I'm not sure it'd be worth it."

"So you're saying I'm not worth the trouble."

"No! I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that we need to understand neutral jing when it comes to our making out. We need to wait for the opportune moment." 

"Very wise Avatar. So does being all alone in a nice warm tent count as an opportune moment?"

"Yeah I'd say it's pretty opportune."

"Good," said Katara as she opened the flap of animal hide that hung over the entrance to the tent, "Because you have a reward coming your way, and I don't want to keep you waiting."

"Waiting was never my strong suit."

"Well don't worry sweetie, you don't have to wait any longer."

She led him over to the second bedroom and gestured for him to lie down on her bed. The next thing Aang new her dress was gone and she was standing there in her underwear. It's not like Aang had never seen her like this before, it was normal for her to be dressed like that when they would train in the heat, and while Aang did enjoy seeing her like that, this was completely different. This had a sexual energy that far surpassed anything Katara and Aang had done in the past. She laid down next to him, and Aang wrapped his arms around her and kissed her enthusiastically. He closed his eyes, and tried his best to absorb every sensation he was feeling in those moments; he was absolutely determined not to forget them. In that relatively short time he had with Katara that night, kissing her far more sensually than he ever had before, he felt that he wanted to have this forever. He felt that he wanted to have Katara forever.


End file.
